The Afterlife
by Guthut
Summary: "What are your thoughts on the afterlife?" It all started as a simple question, no-one could have seen the following events coming. Even now, after experiencing it, the thought of it all still seemed so surreal. Yet, I had no other choice but to accept what was now my new reality.
1. Chapter 1

Regular speech "Overlord"

Extra emphasis " _Overlord_ "

A line break either represents a change in perspective and or change of place/time.

* * *

Life.

It contains both good and bad days.

Some good days are simply indescribable, everything seemingly falls into place on its own. Every possible small little thing that can go your way, will go your way. Your luck stays at an all-time high and keeping the smile in check more often than not proves too big of a challenge.

However, some of the bad days too are indescribable. Nothing seems to go your way and each and every choice you make during it, always leaves you with the feeling of failure and dissatisfaction. You against the world, and there's no chance in hell you're winning.

Today is one of those aforementioned bad days.

If given the chance I could go on and on about ever small little detail that made it so godforsaken. However, that would be a waste of time, everyone's time.

In todays society, when people experience worse than normal days, they look for a way out. Some turn to friends or family to let out some steam. Others consume drugs and intake alcohol 'till they manage to momentarily forget whatever had them worried. Then there's also people like me, whom escape the hell we call life through immersing oneself in the lives of others, through stories.

While they are all admittedly really effective for a short amount of time, in the end, neither escape does anything to _really_ turn your life around. Ignoring it rarely fixes the problem, and sooner or later, it will chase you down, ready or not.

Naturally there's no shortage of escape routes, and the aforementioned are only a few of a vast amount.

In what way did I choose to escape through today then?

Did I indulge myself in my vast collection of novels and find a title which I can recount near perfect just from memory alone?

Maybe I watched an anime, tv show or even a movie. Or one of my personal favorites, taking on the role of a hero in a video game. Going into hell-holes only madmen would jump into willingly, only to overcome any and all obstacles and end up triumphant.

Or perhaps my feet led me to a bookstore or library, wandering aimlessly though the different aisles, only stopping when a fancy title or some mesmerizing artwork caught my eyes. Shallow? Sure, it can be called that, but the fact remains that the reason I've encountered a lot of the many great stories I've read in my time is because either, or both of them attracted me like no other. So, what escape did I choose? A new story in a text, a masterfully told adventure on a screen, or did I take up the mantle of hero in another world?

No, in the end, I choose none of them. It all seemed so dull, so _incredibly_ dull.

Which is how I ended up on a snowy mountain peak, overlooking a great forest with several streams of rivers running through it, large rocks covering whatever places that were left pen in between the trees and rivers. The trickle of water was splashing below me, the subtle gust of wind was ripping through the trees – creating an oddly satisfying sound.

This was what I needed, to simply get away from it all. From all the people, family, friends, co-workers, and all of those damned responsibilities and obligations, society as a whole really.

It was here I found myself one winter evening, my feet hanging loosely over the edge of the peak, swinging aimlessly to the rhythm of the surrounding nature. My eyes taking in the indisputable beauty of the forest, the rivers, of nature itself. My hands were loosely laying in the core of my lap, embracing each other in an attempt to keep whatever fleeting warmth they held for as long as possible.

Taking a few hours to simply exist like this, having free time to put it all into perspective uninterrupted… it should not be underestimated.

This was by no means an everyday thing, it was rare, for me to get away on such a fundamental level. These are the moments which I treasure with all my being. Me, myself, all alone. No phone ringing in the background, with a manger on the other end buzzing with new issues that needs to be addressed. There was nothing, and it was mind-numbing how relaxing it felt.

"You jumping?"

Pulled out of my musing, I flinched, not expecting to meet another person today.

I did not hear anyone approach, and going from the lack of tracks on the climb up this was obviously not a popular place to visit either. Twisting my body, I came face to face with the origin of the voice. It was a man, nay, calling him a man didn't seem right, the shell of one befitted him better. He looked as though he was late for his own funeral. He was a tall one, surely nearing two meters, with a frail structure and coal black hair. He was dressed in simple clothes, a black hoodie, grey pants and a set of sneakers. If you had glanced at him from afar, or passed by him at a street, you might have considered him to be no more than an ordinary teen. I might have thought so too, had I not met him face to face. It was devoid of _any_ emotion, dull eyes, dull skin, dull mouth, dull everything. Monotony given shape, if you will.

"Well?" That same lazy voice once again reached my ears.

Gaining back my bearings, and managing so somehow accept that the voice belonged to the man, I readily turned my attention to the question I was asked.

"If I plan on jumping?" I was sitting on the edge of a peak easily high enough to where a fall would end me, to boot, I'm also alone. I can imagine it made up a rather somber image from the outside. No doubt I could pass like someone contemplating suicide. "No, not jumping, just wanted some time away from it all."

".. Is that so?" He takes out a square looking item – an iphone. ".. I was certain it was to happen today. Am I early?"

Confusion overtook my thoughts. Who was this guy? Why was he here?

"Forgive me, most of the time I'm quite punctual to this sort of thing, it is something I take pride in actually. So much for that.." He puts the phone back in his pocket. "It's rare that I'm early. Say, do you mind if I sit down? Ones last moments spent alone is a sad state of affair."

My what now? This man didn't make much sense, and I doubted he would start making any soon either. Nevertheless, talking to him didn't sound like too bad an idea.

Ushering him closer, he shortened the distance and lowered his frail body.

"Would you mind me asking you a question?" He starts up a conversation as his legs drop down over the ledge.

"Feel free." I said as I nodded my agreement to his question. Perhaps he was trying to escape his problems as well, and talking was his way of doing so, one ought to respect that if it was the case. Or.. could it be that he was here to do the thing he inquired me if I was going to do?

"What are your views on the afterlife?" He asks right as I was finished giving my consent. He does not look at me as he asks this, nor does he seem to give me any sort of attention beyond the sound of his voice. Almost as if he's just going through the movements, motions he had done many times in the past.

Could this man be suicidal? No way, right? Shit.

"That is a big question."

If you're going to kill yourself, please do so in such a fashion that I won't be framed for it.

"There are many versions of the afterlife, as you called it. For one, every religion has one. I myself however am not much a religious person, and I have not put much attention to it.. I have no idea what to think. Maybe, instead of it being a single version, the afterlife is up to the individual? Maybe every person has a role to play in whatever happens after one has moved from this life?"

"Strange." The frail man turns to me, giving off a curious gaze. "You are correct, as weird as that sounds. In my opinion the best way to think of the afterlife is to think of it as another universe where you belong. A world based on your imaginations and filled with whatever you want."

"Peh, that sounds extremely asinine." I snort out. Keep him talking. The more time he uses to talk, the less time he has to jump. "A world made just for you? Ice cream and sprinkles everywhere then?"

"Not exactly." The shadow of a smile starts to spread across the man's face, as he turns towards one of the many streams adoring the mountain. "For instance, let us say you are a student wanting to get into medical school. Or perhaps you want to be a gold medal winning athlete in the Olympic games. This dream world would not just give in your desires completely. It would give you what you wanted, but both the good and the bad. Everything can go wrong, where is the thrill in getting that medal, or achieving academic success if there are no obstacles? No challenges? This dream world is still a world. Just one built with you in mind. One of your choosing, if you will."

"Hmm, you know, that version doesn't sound all that bad." I am not even saying this to keep him from jumping any more, the thought having left my mind as I started racking my brain around the concept of such a thing. "Who wants everything handed to them? Where's the spark of life and adventure if everything is easy? All you need is the resources essential to your goal."

His sickly smile growing ever so slightly, he motions for me with his hand. "So, entertain me, what would your world be like? Which dream world would you choose? What kind of universe would you like to be thrown into? You may draw from stories you have heard or read if you need inspiration."

"If I were to be honest? The One Piece universe would be pretty cool, life onboard a pirate ship sounds exciting. The Harry Potter one I could also see myself living in, magic is so enticing after all. Lord of the rings, that universe is really attractive as well, seeing as it is inhabited by creatures such as dwarves, elves and dragons. Dragon ball, that also sounds like it would be enjoyable. That's a few of the one I reckon has potential. But for me it's not one of those. I know exactly what universe it would be in. A world with scheming, yet ideals. A world with oppression, yet hope. A world with racism, yet understanding. A world with assassins, yet heroes. A world with violence, yet beauty. The Overlord universe. I would love to go there."

"A world filled to the brim with killers?" His brows furrowed up in confusion. "You would choose to go a place where there's no shortage of people being paid to lie, steal, cheat and kill on command? You would choose where the life for most is a struggle, a world where tyrants decides the fate of entire countries on nothing more than a whim? A world which demands you to leave behind a lot of your morals? You would choose something like that?"

"Without a doubt." I state with true conviction. "I know the light novels paint it up to be a really bad place, and it might as well be worse than described. It's a really fucked up place where your life can be lost only because someone more powerful than you happened to cross your path. It's cruel, it's harsh, it's unforgiving, it's biased as hell."

"Then pray tell, why would you want to go to that one?" The man asked as he once again views his phone. "A world in which you are not measured in who you are as a person, but your power and influence?"

"Because I would have so much fun there!" The words flow out naturally out of my mouth. "Exerting power to your own means, twisting the world around you to your liking. The rush of a true life or death battle between mountains of power. The burst of energy you would feel discovering a talent or something of the sort, that has never been within your grasp before. And finally, the look of relief spread across someone's face as you save them from certain demise. It's a harsh world, a gritty one. Its full of blood and tears. Still, knowing that, I think I would thrive in it."

"Could you kill?" He asks, fully turning to face me for the first time since he sat down. "Could you watch life leave someone's body because you willed it?"

"Sure." I shrug. "I've never done it before so I won't know what it's like. But I have already come to the conclusion that I would do it under some circumstances. Like if someone was threatening me or a loved one, and I had the means to stop it. I would do so."

"Hmm, interesting." The scrawny man looked to be weighing something in his mind. "Let us talk hypothetically, if you could control, some aspects of this new universe you are going to, what would that be? Let us say, for every detail you pick, I pick one to keep things interesting."

Embarrassing as it was, this was all a trail of thought I have had before, and answering him didn't prove to be difficult at all. "Well, for starters, I would want potential, simple, overwhelming potential. If I ever were to stand among or against those monsters in the guild of Ainz Ooal Gown, I would at least need that, not sure what kind of direction I want to take that potential though."

"No matter." He huffed in a dismissive manner. "I will decide that for you, as the con for your detail. We are running out of time, anything else you wish to add?"

"I suppose it would be nice to be unaffected of time, or if not completely, at least let aging be inconsequential." I said as I refocused my sight on the horizon.

"Alright, seems easy enough." The man once again looks at his phone. "Though as we agreed I get to tweak something else. You picked how time will flow for you, I'll pick when in the time-line you will appear. Now is your last chance to declare any other detail."

"I want to be free, not bound by the laws or restrictions from any political alignments. I want to be free to move on my own, and be able to do as I see fit."

"A man without obligations to any nation then? Yet, I will make it so they will seek you, be it for whatever reason you can imagine."

He finally stands up and starts speaking in the same lazy voice I had grown accustomed to. "An indisputable amount of potential for power, which I choose the direction of. You not notice aging, yet I will pick the age in which you appear. And at last, you will not be bound down, yet be sought after by many. Seems simple enough."

"I suppose introductions are in order." He was grinning now, showing a face which flashed an emotion I could not truly decipher.

"I am Death, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

The wind blowing through the trees fell silent. The movement of the rivers stopped. Everything stopped.

It was at that moment, the peak on which I was sitting broke off, and fell down to the mountain base.


	2. Chapter 2

Regular speech "Overlord"

Extra emphasis " _Overlord"_

A line break either represents a change in perspective and/or change of place/time.

* * *

I had loving parents. I had a decent job. I had caring friends.

I lost it all.

Honestly? If I were to be asked about what happened, I would not be able to recall. The only recollection that remained was a feeling of falling and extreme terror. Then a splat.

I think I died.

If that was the case however, the afterlife sure as hell wasn't what it was cracked up to be. No nirvana, no heaven, or hell - which was the more likely option knowing myself.

I could no longer feel the familiarity of my own form either, it seemingly having devolved into nothing but a small mass of grey mist.

Yet, for some reason I could still see.

And the vision that was granted to me was unlike any other. Thousands, maybe even millions of small light tunnels were spread far and wide in every possible direction, lighting up what would otherwise be nothing but a black void. Each tunnel appeared to be similar in size and brightness, yet they all possessed a different feel. An aura, if you will.

It was because of this I could distinguish the one tunnel that I felt I held some sort of attachment to.

Trying - and by some act of god managing to move the blob that I had now become I slowly started floating in the direction of the familiar feeling.

".. And here I thought you wanted something else?" came an all too familiar voice behind me.

Another mist came into view, while mine was grey however, his was of pure darkness, constantly emitting a sense of decay and cold. The voice was definitely familiar, but I could swear I had never, ever seen anything like this before.

Is it dangerous? Should I run?

...

Could I even run?

Sure, I prided myself on my somewhat athletic former body. _Former,_ being the key word here. I could barely manage to move this new form of mine, never mind outrunning a seemingly superior form of life.

With that in mind, I should probably strive to leave a positive first impression, no? It's obviously intelligent.

"Sorry, mind introducing yourself?"

The black mist jerked back, as if slightly surprised by the question.

".. You don't remember then? Your death, I mean."

Huh, guess I was right.

"No, I don't. Can you fill me in?"

I wasn't particularly sad, really. Where there is life, there is death. That's the way the world worked. If not today, then maybe it would have been tomorrow. Reaching the age of 22 could be considered an achievement on its own really, an achievement not everyone could claim to have. The one thing that left me with a bitter taste in my now nonexistent mouth, was that I was unable to properly thank my family, for helping me out whenever. They were a great bunch of people, all things considered.

"Troublesome... maybe we can do something else to jog your memory."

As he said this the black mist started morphing violently, shaping into that of a man.

"Well?" he asked in an expectant tone.

He was tall, surely nearing two meters, with a frail structure and coal black hair. He was dressed in simple clothes, a black hoodie, grey pants and a set of sneakers. If you had glanced at him from afar, or passed by him at a street, you might have considered him to be no more than an ordinary teen. I might have thought so t...

!

Oh.. right.

The trees, the rivers, the wind, the _death_. It's all coming back now.

"I think I remember. I fell head first down a mountain, right?"

He got excited now. "Ah yes! Right down on a sturdy rock, effectively cracking your head open and then some. Glorious really, I have to thank you for that one, most deaths nowadays happens while people are sleeping or through simple gun usage.." he stated with open distaste. "Yours however was a magnificent one! Blood and gore everywhere, disfigurement through twisting of body parts in directions not thought possible. Ah! Simply beautiful, once again, thank you."

Trying, and failing to hide my discomfort about his way of describing my death, I turned my attention back to the situation at hand.

"So then, what now?"

The figure sighed, like a teacher trying and failing multiple times in helping a student understand the subject at hand.

"Really now...try connecting the dots will you? Don't make my job harder than it needs to be. I'm in a good mood after seeing the majestic mutilation of your past body, don't ruin that for me.

Not knowing what to say, I kept quiet, both in fear and confusion.

Losing all mirth, the man once again sighed loudly.

"I am the death which governs your former world. It is my duty to watch over the souls of the dead into their new life after death." He stopped, weighing the next words in his mind before continuing.

"Your case is a special one, I did not lie when I said it was a rarity for me to show up early. It's not often one gets to give a specific request for their next life. In the usual procedure the space which we now occupy dissects the soul on the way out and into the next life, to find out about their wishes and preferences. Still, that gives poor results, only really pointing it in the general direction. The act of dissecting the soul also leaves the owner of the soul without any memories of their past lives." He paused, letting me absorb in the new information.

"There is no heaven, no hell, only existence. When this reality came to be, a specific amount of souls were created with it. All of the same souls now circulate through reality, passing on to the world that most fulfills one's desires when their end comes. Your time on earth was up, and you are now to be transported to the world which we spoke of while you were living. Got all that?"

".. Yeah, more or less."

I'm usually a skeptical guy, but who am I to question this? Seeing is believing after all. We really were clueless, how I'd once imagined us humans a smart race is beyond me, we were nothing but big fish in a small pond, unaware of the giant ocean right beside us.

"All of these different portals are worlds then?"

"Finally catching on?" He says regaining whatever mirth lost during the explanation. "That would be correct, each of the portals represent the pathway to different worlds. We can distinguish them through the difference in their aura, you were drawn to one, weren't you? That would be the portal back to earth. Your soul recognized it as similar and friendly, ushering you to move towards it."

"Makes sense. I guess." It didn't, but reminding myself just who the hell I was talking too, I kept my mouth shut not wanting to possible annoy him any further.

"Neat. Now then, lets get down to business."

"What busine-"

Pain.

" **Fucking shit balls fuck damn shit fuck!** " I scream throwing myself in the fetal position, clutching my hands tightly.

Wait, hands? Since when did I have those?

"Such a colorful vocabulary."

"What...what did you do?" It was an unnecessary question, I knew, it was obvious, I had been given a new body.

My skin remained pale, but that was about the only thing I could say resembled my old self. I had grown tall, even taller than the lanky teen who stood before me, someone who towered me in my past life. My hair was long and green, like that of a tree in early summer. On my head a pair of antlers had grown. I had gotten new muscles too, befitting that of an extreme athlete. Lastly, I had gotten blue markings covering my entire body, giving off a small cyan glow.

"Business, didn't I say?"

Seeing my deadpan look, he continued.

"Can't really send you to a new world without a body hmm?"

Ah.

It's really happening then? I'm really going to the Overlord universe? I had a lot of feelings.

Confusion. Terror. Fear. Uncertainty.

But most of all?

Excitement.

I was actually going to walk on the same surface as the monsters in the guild of Ainz Ooal Gown, a terrifying yet exhilarating feeling. Would I try to twist the story to my liking? What role will I take? The hero? The villain? The pacifist?

"This all still seems so surr-ARGH"

Did he just shove his hand down my throat?

Excuse me? Death or not, that's just not cool.

"Peh! Blurrg.." God that was awful, and what was with that taste? Grass? Dirt? Flora? Bark? Not a fan of human parts, but I can say with certainty that's not how it's supposed to taste.

Not that I'm dealing with a normal person anyway.

He shoved his hand into his clothes, removing all the saliva.

"Well then, requirements have been met. Time to send you off," he said as his body started glowing a bright white.

"Hold on just a minute! You're not going to address what you've just done? And about how you didn't bother to give me a heads up at all?" I was annoyed, I repeat, Death or not, that's not cool.

Exasperated, Death sighed again.

"You know, you're lucky it's me you're dealing with and not some other world's Death, having met most of them I can say with certainty you're going to have to look for a while to find someone as lenient and patient as me. Speaking of which, pray you never come to face to face with the Death that governs the Overlord universe. A sadist to the very core." A flinch erupts through Death's body. "You might even consider him demon incarnate if you think my fascination with your death was any bad."

That… wasn't reassuring.

"Hush, we're out of time, I've entertained you enough as it is. I have other matters to attend." He said, followed by a series of strange chants, each somehow managing to tighten the grip around my body more and more.

"Hold on! What powers do I have? How do I fend for myself?" I shouted, desperate for any clue or help at all.

My words went on deaf ears however. His words coming to a close, my body had become numb, eyes no longer responding and my heart feeling like it stopped beating. Yet, I remained conscious. Although barely, only managing to form simple thoughts.

"You know.." Death started talking.

Three...

"Believe it or not, I've grown a little fond of you. I don't interact with a lot of souls, and even then, most of them either bore, or annoy me to no end."

Two...

"Which is why I'll leave you with a little hint regarding your questions just now."

One...

"Seek the dream."

Zero.

* * *

At first, I could not understand what was going on.

The world was nothing but a confusing blend of colors and noise.

Soon however, everything settled down and I could make out the several figures that stood above me. Bears, wolves and basilisks surrounded me. A strange combination, for sure, seeing as they were effectively hunter and prey. But the fact remained that they were perfectly calm around each other, as if they were protected by something superior.

I tried to move, to escape from this strange scene. My body did not listen, only my head managing to function properly. The rest of the body was seemingly there, but too exhausted to even twitch slightly at my attempts.

Across from me, just in my field of vision, another figure appeared, human, this time.

There's my chance out!

"Hey! Sir! Please hel-"

Before I could press on however. The man interrupted me, giving off his own shout. "You are as of recently recognized as a threat and therefore enemy of the Sorcerer Kingdom of Ainz Ooal Gown, for the disruption and damage you have caused. Surrender now, or be prepared to deal with lethal force." Six figures stepped forward - Death knights.

..

..

"Hah?!"

* * *

 **Reviews appreciated!**

 **Thank you.**


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